About
Blawan, the stage name of Jamie Roberts from South Yorkshire, built his reputation on a strain of industrial techno that hits like a jackhammer. Pitchfork's Philip Sherburne put it well: his music is full of jackhammering kicks, splintered wooden percussion, and short fuse breakdowns. He first turned heads with his debut release Fram on Hessle Audio, then landed a wider audience through his remix of Radiohead's "Bloom" on TKOL RMX 1234567. That remix sits alongside a sprawling catalogue of EPs and his 2018 album Wet Will Always Dry. He is frequently credited as one of the artists driving the industrial techno revival, earning nods from heavyweights like Surgeon and The Black Dog. Alongside fellow producer Pariah he runs the hardware only project Karenn, keeping things strictly analogue. More recently he has dropped the singles "Toast", "Body Ramen", and "Fires", with a second album SickElixir arriving on XL Recordings in 2025.
